Biodynamic Compost in SEQ area

[pug]

g'day all

thought this might be of interest to some ... they have very nice compost and their notill soil doesn't look too shabby either ...

RED SOIL ORGANICS

RED SOIL ORGANICS

www.redsoilorganics.com.au

if pedro didn't live in the deep south ... thought this fella might have been him ... looks just how i'd picture pedro.

 

[Carbcon]

Is it any good? I only read of one person using it and didn't catch how they went.

 

[itchybro]

great link pug
that fungal dominate compost would be good to use i reckon
as well as that seed innoculate

 

[Billygoat]

I met the bloke and bought some of his soil last year or the year before.

It was soo dry it was difficult to hydrate. I didn’t actually use it by itself so can’t say if it is any good. Was a very heavy soil as in weight for the size of the bag..

 

[pug]

will give it a crack and get back to you in a while ...

the compost looks and smells amazing - both soil and compost have a bit of clay in them.

looks like he might have gone the other way this time round billy, as both were quite wettish. i'm guessing you might have given him some feedback ... hehehe ... as the notill soil actually has a bit of perlite in it, as well - makes it a bit lighter and compensates for the weight of the base soil used, instead of peat.

will add some compost (over the grow duration) to an already mixed soil (the usual 3 part mix with added amendments) and try the soil separately ... see how she rolls.

just one note ... the compost is not 20L ... probably more like 10L ... but it goes a fair way. i think the soil might also be a bit less than 20L as well ... prices seem pretty fair to me.

 

[frankreynolds]

You guys should make your own composts!

 

[pug]

really hoping to in the future frank ... at the moment unfortunately, not possible.

when i get some room ... i can see a biodynamic compost heap in every corner of the yard.

 

[Carbcon]

Hell ya, I'm sure New populations will be good to add to your own. All in house better they say

 

[frankreynolds]

Wood chip mulch for the fruit trees, get a good mycelium base going quick

I'm of the opinion good bacteria dominated compost for veggies personally.

 

[itchybro]

start of life stuff , germination , there's a fair bit of bacteria required but as far as canna go's a more fungal dominate soil tends to help decrease pest & pathogen pressure imo

fruit & veg are a little all over the shop as far as bacteria vs fungal , fruit trees would be more fungal , strawberries the same , but i think it's brassica's don't have mycorrhiza association , from the stuff i see & read , a little more fungal tends to be the better choice imo , generally it's a sign of a more established soil as fungal communities take longer to build & get destroyed quickly every time you till / dig soil beds

 

[Defsnotacop]

So this is like easy as soil? Heaps cheaper by the looks.

 

[pug]

hiya defs

i reckon easy as organic soil is well proven mate. lots of people have used it with canna with good results. for me ... this one is still in experimentation stage.

 

[itchybro]

So this is like easy as soil? Heaps cheaper by the looks.

i "think" ( cos they don't list ingredients ) you'll find some very different ingredients in the 2 soil blends , not saying one is better than the other though
if i had a choice of composts to use in my soil mixing , which has similar ingredients to easy as , i would choose a biodynamic compost every time , one reason is , it's made with rules , procedure & ingredients which means you get a fairly consistent product regardless of who is making it , plus biodynamic is all about soil life , microorganisms = the real plant farmers

 

[Billygoat]

@itchybro Sent you a PM mate.

 

[frankreynolds]

Most bagged compost sold at bunnings have to comform to rules, and procedure when made in big wind rows. Less esoteric rules though more scientific

 

[itchybro]

lol
that science is concerned mostly with pathogens i believe , the rules of biodynamic Ag won't let those pathogens out compete beneficial biology , but i have a very very rudimentary understanding of biodynamic procedures & zero understanding of commercial compost making

 

[frankreynolds]

Yeh i was just being bitchy hehe, I am personally not a fan of biodynamic purely because a lot of it is based on esoteric principles from 1912 approx. I know there is a fair bit of research done into it, but still a lot of esoteric principles not for me, maybe why i never liked nimbin all that much hehe

 

[pug]

for me ... there is a prescriptive (some might say .. slightly cultish feel) surrounding biodynamics in australia - not much room for variation or discussion there ... lol. unfortunately not a lot of laughing going round either, from my experience ... some serious folk. hopefully the demeter people are a bit more relaxed.

personally ... i love the esoteric principles they espouse - fascinating stuff. who would have ever thought to stick shit in a horn. can't say i understand very much of it ... some of it makes more sense to me than other stuff ... and some i think are totally batshit wrong. what keeps me interested though, is that they seem to have a handle on what makes things grow very well in an environmentally, sustainable manner ... using minimal outside inputs.

plus i love the shiny calendar ... great stuff.

 

[Smokeyandtheblunt]

looks good, have to learn to compost, just bought the time release searles this time (thou would make a ncie base) and also have bin of used searles organic potting mix, maybe can build on that, i got 5in1 , rooster booster, tiny bit of neem meal and kelp from EasyAs Organics

 

[pug]

hiya smokey

i checked out you grow diary mate ... you have some great strains going and a beautiful back yard ... that's got to lift the spirits and make our current times a whole lot nicer.

... when i first started the move from hydro to soil, i tried searles organic range, but unfortunately, couldn't really get much happening. i was tempted to go back to hydro, but luckily got some good advice from some very patient people initially involved with rols (recycled organic living soil) and then finally into notill. luckily i managed to dodge the revs' spikes, layering and horrible feather meal.

imho ... there seems to be two easier and less painful organic soil paths at the moment ... either building your own notill soil from scratch or using a good mix, like easy-as-organics (and hopefully the biodynamic one above). if you are keen after this run and want to mix your own soil ... i would suggest a simple 3 part recipe with amendments ... itchy, carb and many others have good examples of this. although very tempting ... i would avoid re-using any soil from your current grow and start a nice, new batch from scratch. recycling soil is a fey artform and one that can be hard to work out specific problems, if they occur ... something i could never get the hang of.

although a bit of a pain in the arse during the veg stage ... a consistent ipm (integrated pest management) system, seems to make the flowering stage, a lot nicer process.